Lo3: Task 4 - Evidence of Carrying out a specific role for a chosen media production

My Contribution to a production

Roles and Responsibilities

For the production of our Unit 46 music video I took the role as lead editor as I had the most experience with video making out of everyone in the group. This meant I was in charge in creating the majority of the final edit.

Contribution to media product

Being lead editor meant that I had to make sure everyone's contribution to the editing process was consistent with the artistic vision of the production. We went through all the footage and created shot logs and edit decision lists to make sure that we had enough clips that were good enough for the final edit.

As my team was such a small team, I was also appointed as Director of the project which meant that I had artistic control. Because of this I decided to create the storyboard so that I could communicate to my team what shots we need for production and how everything is going to tie together for post-production.

Here I have several screen shots of work that I contributed to the final edit of the video. I had to make sure that every single cut occurred on beat and that each shot fit the pacing of the music.

Development of skills

Performing this role helped develop my video editing skills a lot. I felt that every time I spent time editing the video I was becoming more efficient thanks to the use of hotkeys and understanding of cutting techniques. It also helped me build communication skills with my peers, who I did not know very well at the time, which allowed me to work well with the team. 

Undertaking of Additional Tasks

As well as being appointed Director and creating the storyboard I also helped with the camera work and captured the majority of the footage featured in the production.

 I made sure to put in the effort in my extra duties as I had a clear vision of what I wanted the video to look like and I wanted it to succeed.

Lo2: Task 3 - Understanding skills needed to fulfills role of a video editor

 I will be looking at what skills are required in order to become a video editor.

Written Communication

A video editor must make sure that the film/video remains consistent throughout the editing process. In order to accomplish this they will be tasked to create shot logs and edit decision lists to help determine what footage can be considered excess and what will be used in the final edit.
During my Digital Media course that I took at UTC Sheffield I had to help create these lists for our Unit 46 music video project which allowed our editing process to run much smoother.

Verbal Communication

Verbal Communication is very important for a video editor as they must use it to keep tabs with the director in order to make sure that the director is pleased with what is being edited together. During my Unit 46 project I would regularly ask my colleagues for their opinion of the state of the video and adjust what I have completed based on their feedback.

Practical Production

In industry, video editors must use specialist software to create their work and must have incredible knowledge on how to use these pieces of software. In my music video project I used Adobe Premiere on a Apple iMac. I have used this software before in the past so I was comfortable going in when editing the video and if I ever needed any help regarding the software I would quickly search for the necessary information online.

 Creativity

A video editor must have a very creative mindset and must not be scared to try different techniques and effects for a product. But, they must also make sure to follow the artistic vision of the director and be ready to receive any criticism regarding their work and remedy those critiques accordingly.

Areas for Further Development

Looking back at my performance as video editor, I believe that although I did well I still have much more room for improvement. I need to develop and increase my knowledge of Adobe Premiere by learning new techniques, hot keys and how to properly encode and render video so that I can become efficient in my work and produce high quality edits later down the line. I should also try to learn other software as well such as Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects so that I am comfortable with their usage in case I have no other option for software choice and to further enhance the quality of my edits.
I need to also improve on communicating with others more so that I can receive criticism for my work so I can make it better.

Action Plan

The best way for me to learn software is to keep producing edits to help get to grips with the software and to increase my portfolio at the same time.
I will also make sure to regularly showcase my work to friends and family around me so that I can become comfortable with people seeing what I have created.

After my education at UTC Sheffield I will also take on a video editing course so that I can be taught techniques and skills that I may not have realised before.

Lo1: Task 2 - Job Roles Report

Job Roles Report

I have chosen two job media roles that I have an interest in: Video editor and Camera operator.

Video Editor

The video editor plays a vital role in the post production of a film or video based media as they are responsible for putting the final product together. The video editor cuts down the footage recorded during the production stage and organises the footage in order to fit the narrative of the script. They will also be in charge of adding special effects to the footage in order to further enhance the meaning or atmosphere of the piece or to create/implement something that could not be created during the production stage. Video editors will use computers with specialist software such as Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro.

My suitability for the role

I personally believe that this role would suit me as I enjoy editing video and is something I feel quite passionate about. I have a lot of experience of working with computers and have had experience with various different types of video editing software. Editing video requires a lot of time and patience and also requires a lot of knowledge of the software in order to pull off some of the advanced editing techniques.

Camera Operator

The camera operator is responsible for the camera work on set during the production stage of a film/video based media product. The camera operator will operate the camera equipment and create shots according to the storyboard. This role requires a steady hand in order to smoothly execute various camera techniques like panning, tilting, zooms, etc. 

Camera operators will use various cameras to record the footage and use tripods to help keep them stable.

Comparison of Roles

Both of these roles are incredibly vital for the production of a film/video. These roles are fairly similar as they will involve working with a team of other video editors or camera operators. They both require incredible patience and are extremely important for the success of the product. 

But there are some differences between the two roles. The camera operator must make sure to always keep a steady hand and must always be alert and ready to execute their shot as they are recording live footage and cannot afford to mess up during recording. 

The video editors don't have to worry too much about making a minor mistake during post production as they can easily remedy it during the edit but their work is much more time consuming as they must watch over the entire footage that is given to them and then pick out the best parts and cut them into the finished product.

Lo1: Task 1 - Research of jobs within the media industry

2016, C.S. © (2016) Job Roles. Available at: http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles (Accessed: 18 May 2016).

Description of roles in the film industry:

Director: The director oversees the entire production of the film throughout all of it's production stages making sure that everything is coherent and fits his/her's artistic vision.

Costume/Makeup Artist: The costume/make up artists are in charge of making sure actors are fit for filming. They will be part of the production stage and may also be involved during pre-production to help source/create costumes ready for production.

Lead Editor: The lead editor is part of the post-production stage of the film and is in charge of the video editing team making sure that each edit being made is coherent and consistent with each other.

Writer: The writer is part of the pre-production stage and is incharge of creating the script and narrative of the film.

Camera Operator: The camera operator is part of the production stage of the film as they have to operate the cameras that record what is happening on set.

Video Editor: The video editor is part of post-production and works in a team of other editors to take all the footage, cut it down and apply special effects ready for viewing.